Ex-Tory candidate sued for sex discrimination

A former Tory party high-flyer facing claims of sexual discrimination allegedly told a colleague that "all women should be sterilised", an employment tribunal heard yesterday. Ross Coates, 55, who stood against Jack Straw in the 1992 general election, was allegedly "extremely displeased" when he found out a member of his staff was pregnant the tribunal, in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, heard. Sarah Nixon, 34, of Finningham, Suffolk, had been employed as a manager at his firm of solicitors, and is claiming sex discrimination, harassment, constructive dismissal and unpaid wages against Coates.